In my dance class today, my teacher taught us part of the Charleston Dance.

As part of my assignments, my mom had me go online and find a video of the Charleston that I liked and post it.

So I did🙂

Here it is.

The Charleston is a dance that originated in the 1920’s. It started after a musical song called “The Charleston” took off and the dance for it became wildly popular.

In this video, the dance is different from the part that we learned. In our steps we had to bend down and touch the floor, but I still really like this clip. I find it interesting the way they move. The dance was created by Kathryn Wilson, and was often thought of being associated with flappers, and being provocative. The women that danced it were often making fun of the Prohibition.

I think it’s changed from being provocative, to just being a fun dance to learn and perform. Which is exactly what I am doing.

But all they want to do/ is tie the poem to a chair with rope/ and torture a
confession out of it….
From “Introduction to Poetry” by Billy Collins

Hanging Fire by Audre Lorde

I am fourteen
and my skin has betrayed me
the boy I cannot live without
still sucks his thumb
in secret
how come my knees are
always so ashy
what if I die
before the morning comes
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.

I have to learn how to dance
in time for the next party
my room is too small for me
suppose I die before graduation
they will sing sad melodies
but finally
tell the truth about me
There is nothing I want to do
and too much
that has to be done
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.

Nobody even stops to think
about my side of it
I should have been on Math Team
my marks were better than his
why do I have to be
the one
wearing braces
I have nothing to wear tomorrow
will I live long enough
to grow up
and momma’s in the bedroom
with the door closed.

Will you please tell me:

Who is speaking in the poem?

The poem is being spoken by a young girl.

How are they speaking to the reader?

The girl is speaking to the reader in first person because, in parts of the poem she says things like “I”.

What do you think this poem is about?

I think this poem is about a young teenage girl and her insecurities. She talks about how people don’t even stop to listen to what its like for her. She speaks about that in there. (What is “that in there?”)

What is the speaker worried about?

She is worried about not being able to dance at the next party, or having new clothes. She is worried about her appearance. (Can you describe this worry in a general way, rather than giving examples? What do all of the examples together mean?)

What else can you figure out about the state of mind of the writer?

She is very cautious. She worries a lot about what people think of her, and is always trying to change herself.(Change herself for what reason?)

Why does the poet repeat “and momma’s in the bedroom with the door closed?”

I think it means that while everything is going on in her life, she feels that her mother is closing her off, and she has no one to talk to about it. (Give me one word to describe her emotions.)

What do you think you know about the poet after reading this poem? What
specifically in the poem reveals their character/emotions/fears?

Maybe her life growing up wasn’t that great, that she had some hard times. She feared what people thought of her, and wanted to be almost like a perfect person.

Do you ever feel like the writer of this poem?

I feel like her sometimes. When i feel like i need to newest clothes to look good, or i feel like i should have gotten something that i didn’t.(Is a small i the way this pronoun written? We are not texting in this assignment.)

Where does the poet use language in surprising ways?

I did not see any language used in surprising ways.

Is the poet complaining? Why or why not?

In a way she is complaining, but in a way she isn’t. She talks about how no one listens to her side, and how she should have been on the math team instead of him. That sounds like complaining, but in a way she is just telling her story.

Is there conflict in this poem? Is it internal or external? How do we know?

There is conflict in this poem. Its is internal conflict. She is basically in conflict with herself. Fighting about how she should look, how she should act and be.(Where do these “shoulds” come from?)